NW-SCC and the Shoals Chamber of Commerce hold a ribbon cutting following the grand opening of new Salon and Spa Center on the NW-SCC Shoals campus Monday, November 16th. Special guests included: Blake McAnally, Member-at-Large of the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees; Dr. Mark Heinrich, Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System; Jeff Newman, State Board of Education, District 7; Larry Bowser, General Manager of the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa; Steve Holt, President of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce; Ulrekia Malone, NW-SCC Graduate
MUSCLE SHOALS– Northwest-Shoals Community College’s (NW-SCC) officially opened the new Salon and Spa Center (building 131) today, Monday, November 16th, at 2:00 p.m. with a brief press conference followed by an open house.
The opening of the 8,844 square-foot facility which now houses the Salon and Spa Management program was under construction for 12 months and completed September 11, 2015. The floor space contains state-of-the-art training lab facilities for cosmetology, nail technology, esthetics and possibly therapeutic massage in the future. The facility also features a storm shelter with a capacity of 195 persons.
The new facility is an upgrade from the previous aging facility of approximately 4,000 square feet which was constructed in the mid 1960s. The new facility offers students the opportunity to train in an environment which is comparable to modern day salon and spas.
According to NW-SCC President Humphrey Lee, the Salon and Spa Center located directly beside the Center for Business (building 112), adds aesthetic appeal to the Shoals campus. “We have tried over the past few years to gradually update the appearance of the Shoals campus as funds allow,” said Lee. “We implemented a new courtyard theme within the past couple of years through the center of campus that better connects the academic and technical buildings with a common walkway. It makes it a lot easier for our students to walk around campus.”
Over the past year, the Salon and Spa Management program has increased by 22% in enrollment and the new facility will hopefully help the program reach new heights. “With our new Salon and Spa center, we hope to not only train more students but also provide industry with highly qualified employees that are able to step right in and operate a full service salon,” stated Rose Jones, Associate Dean of Workforce Development. “We hope the new facility will allow us to expand our program offerings into Therapeutic Massage.”
The expansion of the Salon and Spa Management program into the new facility is the latest on the Shoals campus since the opening of the new Injection Molding Technology Center (building 104) in August of 2014 and the new Automotive Service Technology Training Center program (building 129) in April of 2014. The construction of the building cost the College $1.9 million.
The Shoals Chamber was on hand to assist with the grand opening by hosting a ribbon cutting and capturing the event in photos. We present those photos to you here:
